We invite submission of papers and panel proposals that explore all aspects of race and ethnicity in the 19th century, from all disciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives. Topics might connect race and ethnicity with social identity or social control; with land use, ecology, city planning or industrialism; with emigration and immigration patterns; with aesthetics or with the sciences; with gender and sexuality. The organizers encourage the broadest interpretation of the topic, and the widest application to cultural phenomena.

The wealth of racial and ethnic history in Pennsylvania's Central Susquehanna Valley will provide an excellent focal point for wide ranging discussions. Fergus Bordewich, author of Bound for Canaan: The Underground Railroad and the War for the Soul of America (2005 Amistad), will present the first public lecture; Malcolm Dick, author of Joseph Priestley and Birmingham (Studley 2005), will present the second public lecture on race, religion, and the legacy of Joseph Priestley. Karen James of the PA Historical and Museum Commission will anchor a roundtable discussion on research methods for recovering African American involvement in the Underground Railroad. Local scholars will lead special tours of Underground Railroad sites and 19th-century architecture, including buildings of Joseph Priestley, Thomas Edison, and Eli Slifer.